JPMORGAN HOPES QUIRKY AD ENTICES WAMU FLOCK TO STAY PUT

If you’re a nervous Washington Mutual customer who watched your bank nearly crash and burn last week, JPMorgan Chase wants you to stop worrying.

That’s the message delivered in the quirky post-merger ads JPMorgan is running less than a week after swooping in to save the failing bank.

“We love Chase,” the ad reads, “And not just because they have a trillion dollars.”

The ads – the first since the government seized WaMu and sold most of its assets to JPMorgan Chase – generated online buzz shortly after they appeared in newspapers in major cities. Similar spots are also running on the radio.

After a rash of bank failures, Chase is moving quickly to keep WaMu customers from withdrawing their funds. The ad goes on to tout Chase’s size and stability, saying it “brings more money to the party.”

“We just want customers of [WaMu] to know their money is safe,” said Chase spokesman Michael Fusco. “We’re trying to show our size and our strength.”

Chase’s lead creative agency is independent shop McGarry Bowen, while WaMu’s is TBWA/Chiat/Day, part of ad giant Omnicom.

A spokesman for Chase declined to say which agency created the ad, adding that both continue to work with the bank.